Stock-fitting machine



Feb. 11, 1930.

H. WARREN 1,746,329

STOCK FITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 A amn Feb. 11, 1930. H. WARREN STOCK FITTING MACHINE 7 sheets-sheet- 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1923 Feb. 11, 1930. H. WARREN STOCK FITTING MACHINE '7 shets -sheet Filed Dec. 28, 1925 VE/V TUE;

Fig: 5.

Feb. 11, 1930.

H. WARREN STOCK FITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 2a, 1923 7 sheets-sheet 4 Feb. 11, 1930. H. WARREN I STOCK FITTING MACHINE Filed D80. 28, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet W I I K nl l l I n! H/ In 1 4 Feb. 11, 1930. W N 1,746,329

S TOCK FITTING MACHINE I Filed Deo. 28. 1923 J 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Feb. 11, 1930.

. H. WARREN STOCK FITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1923 7 sheets-sheet w. -i-. H .H. w i WW 1 J... F z w M H m K 0 Nl EN 727/1.

Patented Feb. 11, 1930 nnrr HAROLD WARREN, 0F LYN-I I, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHIN- ERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY STOCK-FITTING MACHINE Application filed December 28, 1923. Serial No. 683,211.

This invention relates to stock-fitting machines, and is herein illustrated in its application to machines for performing stock-fitting operations upon stock supplied in the form of strips of extended or indeterminate length.

One object of the invention is to facilitate the performance of two or more stock-fitting operations without unnecessary duplication means for receiving a strip of stock which has been operated upon and delivering the stock in orderly arrangement.

As illustrated in the drawings, the interchangeable heads, provided respectively with mechanism for splitting a strip of stock into beveled welt or rand strips and with welt grooving and beveling instrumentalities, are adapted to be supported selectively by a. hollow pedestal provided with a motor and a vertical shaft driven by the motor, and each of the machine heads is provided with a vertical shaft arranged to drive stock-feeding members contained in the head and adapted to be axially alined with the motor-driven shaft inthe pedestal, the shaftsbeing provided with co-operating coupling members for conveniently connectingand disconnec ing them.

The illustrated machine heads are also equipped with guideways or chutes for receiving strips of stock after the stock-fitting op- I erations, and the pedestal is provided with mounting of a selected machine head upon the pedestal in proper relation thereto, the illustrated pedestal, in accordance with another feature of the invention, has provision for detachably holding the strip-guiding chutes of either of the interchangeable heads and for locating said chutes relatively to the revolving coiling guides.

Considered from another standpoint, the invention provides a novel organization comprising means for feeding lengthwise a strip of stock of extended length, means for dividing the stock lengthwise, chutes for directing the divided strips toward opposite sides of the machine, and rotary coiling guides for receiving the divided strips from the chutes and delivering them in successively laid courses of substantial similarity at spaced localities removed from the dividing means.

Another object of the invention is to pro-' vide improved stock-treating means for performing cutting operations upon strips of stock, such as operations to form strips of stock into welt or rand strips.

In accordance with this object, a novel feature of the invention is to be recognized in the combination with means for performing a cutting operation on a strip of stock, such as splitting the stock lengthwise, of members constructed and arranged automatically to vary the position of the stock with relation to the splitting means in accordance with variations in the width of the original strip operated upon. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a knife is provided for splitting a strip of stock toform beveled rand or welt strips, together with edge guides for centering the strip transversely with respect to the splitting knife to insure that the beveled strips produced shall correspond in crosssectional shape irrespective of variations in the width of the original strip of stock. As a further aid to performing such operations, the invention also provides for spreading the edge guides apart to facilitate the insertion of stock between them, the stock-feeding members preferably, and as illustrated, be-

ing separated when the edge guides are spread apart.

The invention further consists in features of construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a machine in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a strip of rand stock illustrating the manner in which the stock is split to form two rand itripsby means of the machine shown in Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the rand splitting head with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the head shown in Fig. 4, also with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 6 is a detail view, in front elevation, of the slide which carries the adjustable feed wheel shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the device for transversely centering the strip of rand stock relatively to the knife;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan View of the knife and knife holder of the rand splitting head, showing particularly the means for adjusting the knife;

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view of a welt grooving and beveling head adapted to be mounted upon the pedestal shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the pedestal, the head being removed;

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view on the line 1111 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on the line 1212 of Fig. 10.

When equipped with the splitting head shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the machine shown in the drawings functions, as has been explained, to split a strip of welt or rand stock in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 by a out which extends diagonally from corner to corner, as appears in said figure, or obliquely from a point spaced from one corner to a point spaced :1. corresponding distance from the diagonally opposite corner. After the strip of stock has been split, the two beveled rand or welt strips thus produced are directed apart and coiled separately in two receptacles. For convenience the splitting head, although adapted for use in making either rand or welt strips, will be referred to as a rand splitting head, the stock operated upon as rand stock and the product as rand strips.

Referring first to F ig. 1, the strip of rand stock 100 is presented between two feed rolls 11 and 13 and fed downwardly to a knife 15 which is held in position to split the strip lengthwise and obliquely with respect to its lateral faces. The two rand strips formed by this splitting operation are then separately received in two diverging guideways or Referring now more particularly to Figs.

4 and 5, the axis of the rotatable shaft 12 of the feed roll 13 is stationary and the shaft 14 of the feed roll 11 is movable toward and from the shaft 12, being urged at all times toward the shaft 12 by a compression spring 29 which engages at one end the bottom of a socket formed in a slide member 31 (Fig. 6) by which the shaft 14 is carried and which engages at the other end a cupped disk 33 (Fig. 4) which may be moved by manipulating an adjusting screw 35 to vary the tension of the spring. The slide member 31 has two parallel slides 32 and 34 which extend above and below the bearing of the shaft 12 and are reciprocated in guideways, one wall of each of which is formed respectively by gibs 37 and 39 held in place by screws 41 and 43. The end of the lower slide 34 is engaged by a cam 45 which is pivoted at 47 to the frame of the machine and is rigid with a handle 49 by manipulation of which the cam may be rocked in a clockwise direction, as viewer in Fig. 5, to force the slide member 31, and with it the feed roll 11, to the left. The purpose of this construction is to permit the op erator to separate the feed rolls an abnormal amount preparatory to presenting the leading end of a strip of rand stock between them. When this has been done the handle 49 is moved back into the position shown in Fig. i to permit the feed wheels to grip the strip It is desirable that the cross-sectional shape of each of the two beveled rand strips split from a single strip of rand stock shall be the same at the point of splitting irrespective of variations in the width of the strip of stock fed to the splitting knife. To this end means is provided for centering the strip of rand stock transversely with respect to the center of the knife edge. This means comprises a pair of articulated edge guides or centering devices 51 and 53 located concentrically with respect to the central axis of the splitting knife 15 (Fig. 7 which have tapered ends 54 to extend down between the feed rolls 1]. and 13, as shown in Fig. 4. The edge guides 51 and 53 are carried by arms 55 and 57 (Fig. 5), said arms being fast to gear segments 59 and 61 having intermeshing teeth. These gear segments are mounted for rocking movement on vertical shafts 63 and 65, the gear segment 61 having in its hub provided with a lug 72carrying a hook 67 to which one end of a tension spring 69 is attached, the other end of the spring being attached to a hook fixed in the frame of the machine. 7 The spring 69 thus tends at all times to rock the gear segments 59 and 61 in opposite directions and to move the edge guides 51 and 53 toward each other. To prevent the edge guides from approaching one another too closely when no stock is being fed between the feed wheels, stop pins and 52 on the arms and 57 are arranged to butt end-toend, as shown in Fig. 7 to limit the approach of the edge guides.

When the feed rolls 11 and 18 are spread apart by swinging the handle 19 of the cam 45 preparatory to inserting a strip of rand stock between said rolls, it is desirable that the edge guides be separated at the same time. To this end,an abutment 71 formed as a part of the slide member 81 which carries the bearings of the shaft 14, is adapted to engage the lug 72 formed on the gear segment 61 so as to turn that segment in a counter-clock wise direction, viewing Fig. 5, when the slide member 31 is moved to the left to separate the edge guides 51 and 58. As soon as the handle 49 is swung in a direction to permit the compression spring 29 to bring the feed rolls 11 and 13 together upon either side of the interposedstrip of rand stock, the tensionspring 69 brings the edge guides 51 and 53 against the opposite'edges of the strip and centers the strip widthwise with respect to w the center of the knife.

The knife 15 is received in two diametrically opposite vertical grooves in the upper wall of. a cylindrical holder 7 8 (Figs. 4. and 8) the holder being received in a two-part bearin 75. The main art of the bearin it! h is mounted for horizontal sliding adjustment in suitable bearings in the frame and the cylindrical knife holder 78 is also mounted for turning or angular adjustment about its ver tical axis, both these adjustments being previded in order that the cross-sectional shape of the two rand strips produced by the splitting operation may be made identical and the desired transverse dimensions obtained irrespective of the thickness of the strip of rand stock operated upon. The bearing 75 may be adjusted to the right or left, as viewed inFig. 5, by turning a thumb-hold 77 which is fast to the outer end of an adjusting screw 78. This adjustment of the bearing 75 permits the knife 15 to be adjusted bodily across the bite of the feed rolls in accordance with any variation in the thickness of the stock to be operated upon, to insure that the axis about which the knife turns, as the knife is an 'ularl ad'usted will coincide with the b z 9 long1tud1nal centerlme of the strip or stock whatever the thickness of the strip may be. The ad usting screw 7 8 extends through a split boss 80 (Fig. 4) which 1s formed upon the exterior of the frame and engages the inner end of the thumb-hold 77 The inner end of the screw 78 is threaded into the bearing 7 5. To maintain the bearing 75 in horizontally adjusted position a screw 81 is arranged to contract the split boss 80 againstthe adjusting screw 78.

Turning or angular adjustment of the knife to vary the angle of the cut is effected by turning the cylindrical knife holder 7 3 about its vertical axis. For this purpose the knife holder 7 3 is provided with external worm teeth 82 (Fig. 8) which are engaged by a worm 83 on a stud 84 which extends at right angles to the screw 7 8 and is mounted to turn in the bearing 75. A knurled head 85 is provided for turning the stud 84.

The feed rolls 11 and 13 are connected to rotate in unison by means of intermeshing gears 87 and 88 (Fig. 5) secured to the shafts 12 and 14:, and the feed rolls are driven from a vertical shaft 90 through intermeshing bevel gears 91 and 92 on the shafts 90 and 12, respectively. The teeth of the gears 87 and 88 are of sufficient depth to insure that the gears will remain in mesh when the feed rolls are separated to receive a new strip of stock. The shaft 90 is journaled in a bearing 93 and at its lower end is provided with one member 94; (Fig. 1) of a tongue and groove coupling, the other member 95 of which is carried by a vertical shaft 96 (Figs. 1 and 3) journaled in a suitable bearing in the supporting pedestal 97 which will be hereinafter described. The coupling members 94 and 95 are arranged to connect the shafts 90 and 96 approximately in the plane where the head and pedestal adjoin and the connection is made merely by moving the head relatively to the pedestal to bring the tongue of one coupling member into registering engagement with the groove in the other coupling member. The shaft 96 is driven from a motor carried by the pedestal as will hereinafter appear.

After a rand strip has been split, the two beveled strips thus produced pass downwarc 1y through the hollow knife holder at opposite sides of the knife and are received in the upper ends of the guideways 17 and 19 by which they are conveyed to the revolving coiling guides 21 and 2-8. The ceiling guides deliver the rand strips into the bags or other receptacles which are connected with the receptacle holding sleeves 25 and 27, and the revolution of the coiling guides cause the rand strips to be coiled loosely in the receptacles in successively laid courses. As shown, the coiling guides are connected for rotation in unison, i. e, at the same rate of speed so that substantial. similarity in the; separate receptacles. Preferably also the coiling guides are arranged to be rotated at such speed with relation to the speed of delivery of the strips from the lower ends of the coiling guides as the above described rand splitting head or a welt grooving and beveling head such as will be described hereinafter. As best shown in Fig. 1, this pedestal is formed with a hollow upper portion consisting of a casing or shell 98, which encloses the drive mechanism for.

the coiling guides and provides a horizontal surface for supporting the machine heads, and a drum 99 upon which the casing 98 rests. The casing 98 and drum 99 are separable along a horizontal plane and are secured together by suitable screws 200. The receptacle holding sleeves 25 and 27 are disposed at opposite sides of the center of the pedestal and are rigidly secured in place. The coiling guides 22 and 23 are inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, and their lower ends project slightly into the receptacles 24.

To insure that the strips will be properly laid in the receptacles, the coiling guides 21, 23, which consist of cylindrical tubes, are rotated about vertical axes coincident with the axes of the sleeves 25, 27 which hold the respective receptacles. To enable the coiling guides to rotate as described,-they are secured at their upper ends in carriers 101 and 102 mounted to turn in vertical hearings in the upper part 98 of the pedestal. The carriers 101 and 102 are formed with central passageways leading to the coiling guides, these passageways registering with the lower ends of the stationary guideways or hutes 17 and 19. Secured to the top of the coiling guide carriers are worm wheels 103 and 10a (Fig. 3), the lower sides of which engage finished faces adjacent to the upper ends 01"? the bearings for the coiling guide carriers. The worm wheels thus serve to support the ceiling guide carriers in their I bearings. The coiling guides are rotated from a horizontal shaft 105 through worms 106 and 107 which are secured to opposite en of said shaft and intermesh with teeth of the worm wheels 103 and 101. The shaft 105 is journaled near its ends in fixed bearii'igs and at its middle pun ti on has secured thereto a worm gear 20 1 which is co-operatively engaged by a worm on the armature shaft 109 of a motor 110 that is suspended from the upper pedestal sect-ion 98. The shaft 105 is connected by intermeshing bevel gears 111 and 112 with the hereinbefore mentioned vertical shaft 96, which is detachably secured to the shaft 90 by the coupling 94:, 95, and serves to drive the mechanism of the rand'splitting head. The lower portions of the guideways or chutes 17 and 1.9 are inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, and are received in chute-holding recesses or sockets 113, 114 (Fig. 10) formed in lugs cast on the top 01": the upper portion 98 of the pedestal. The guideways or chutes 17 and 19 are secured to the rand splitting head by screws 115 which extend through suitable ears on the chutes. To permit the chutes 17 and 19 to be inserted and removed from the sockets 113, 114. without necessitating the removal of said chutes from the head, the top wall of the upper pedestal section 98 is apertured, as at 116 and 117 (Fig. 10) to receive the lower extremities of the chutes, and the sockets 113, 11a extend up through the upper wall of the pedestal section 98 and open into the apertures 116, 117 therein. The lower ends of the chutes 17 and 19 extend into the passageways in the rotatable coiling guide carriers 101, 102. The upper sides of the chutes 17, 19 are closed by covers 118 (Fig. 1) removably held in place by suitable spring fasteners such as shown at 119.

The top wall of the upper pedestal section 98 has cast thereon a U-shaped rib 120 (Fig. 10) upon which the rand splitting head is adapted to rest. The lower coupling member 95 extends through an aperture 121 in said top wall of the pedestal, while the upper coupling member 94- extends through an aperture 122 in the bottom wall of the casing enclosing the head. Thus it willbe apparent that these coupling members are adapted to interengage when the head is set in place upon the pedestal. To assemble the head with the pedestal it is only necessary to place the head upon the rib 120 with the guiding chutes 17, 19 extending into the chute-holding sockets 113, 11 1. A screw 123 (Fig. 1) is then inserted through an aperture 124.- (Fig. 41) in the bottom of the head and is screwed into a.

tapped hole 125 (Fig. 10) in the top of the pedestal. The aperture 121 is sdmevvnat larger in diameter than the shank of the screw 123 to permit such slight lateral adjustment of the head relatively to the pedestal as may be necessary to bring the shafts 90 and 96 into axial alinement or into such. substantial axial alinement that coupling members 9 1 and 95 will interengage. After such interengagcment of the coupling members has been accon'iplished, the screw 123 is tightened to hold the head securely in place. This screw 123 constitutes the only means for securing the head to the pedestal.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that the rand splitting head, together with the attached strip guiding chutes may be removed as a unit from the pedestal by merely removing the screw 123. The head may then be lifted from the pedestal, the apertures 116, 117 in the top of the pedestal enabling the guiding chutes to be lifted out of the sockets without being detached from the head. By constructing the pedestal as above described, it is adapted for use in connection with heads having means for perders it unnecessary to provide a separate motor and stripcoiiing means for each stock fitting head and thus reduces to a substantial extent the expense of the equipment required and results in a considerable saving of floor space in the factory where the machines are installed.

The welt grooving and beveling head, which is shown in Fig. 9, comprises a bevel- 1 7 ing knife 132, a grooving knife 130 and the usual feeding and work supporting rolls 134 and 136 respectively, which cooperate to feed a strip of unprepared welting to the knives. The knives are mounted upon a knife carrier 138the upper end of which is pivoted on a stud 140 carried by the frame of the head. The lower portion of the knife 1 carrier 138 is connected by a link 142 with a depending portion of a slide 144 in which the work supporting roll 134 is mounted, and by a link'146 with a pointer 148 pivoted upon a fixed stud150 and arranged to indicate the adjustment of the knives upon a scale 152.

Except as hereinafter described, the construction and mode of operation of the parts above referred to and various other parts associated therewith may be the same as or similar to that of corresponding parts shown and described in United States Patent 1 No. 1,309,567, granted July 8, 1919 to Andrew Eppler, and reference is hereby made to that patent for a detailed description of these parts.

The operating partsof the welt grooving and beveling head are mounted upon a frame 154 the base of which is of the same shape and dimensions as that of the rand splitting head heroinbefore described. The welt grooving and beveling head is adapted to rest upon the U-shaped rib 120 at the top of the pedestal 97 and to be removably secured to the pedestal by the single bolt shown at 123 in Fig. 1. The work supporting and feeding rolls 134 and 136 are suitably geared together and are adapted to be driven from the shaft 96 through a vertical shaft 155 (Flg. 9) and intermeshing beveled gears 156 On the shaft 155 and on the shaft of the roll 136, respectively, the shaft 155 being connected with the shaft 90 through a coupling device such as shown at 157 in Fig. 9. p 7

The welt grooving and beveling head,

shown in Fig. 9, is provided with two guides ways or chutes 158, 160 which are adapted to be used for carrying away the welting strip after it has been grooved and beveled. The guldeways or chutes 158 and 160 are secured to' the frame 154 of the head as indicated at 162 and 164 and the lower ends of the tubes are adapted to be received in the tube receiving sockets 113 and 114 (Fig. of the pedestal and located by said sockets with each guiding tube in position to deliver a welting strip into the respective coiling guide 21 or 23. The guideways or chutes 158 and 160 are adapted to be used alternately to receive the welting strip and in order that the welting strip may be fed into one or the other of the guiding tubes, as desired, a switch member 170 is interposed between the knives 130 and 132 and the adjacent upper ends of the guiding chutes 158 and 160. This switch member consists of a short chute the upper end of which is located in position to receive the welting strip immediately after it leaves the knives. The lower end of the switch member may be swung into registration with the upper ends of either of the chutes 158 or 160. Accordingly the upper end of the switch member 170 is pivoted upon a horizontal'stud 172 carried on fixed arm 174 rising from a portion of the frame. To enablethe switch to be shifted at willfrom one discharging position to another, a slide bar 176 is pivoted to the switch at 178. The slide bar is mounted in a horizontal guideway l80 in the frame and one end of the bar extends beyond the side of the frame, and is provided with a fingerpiece 182 by which it may conveniently be actuated to swing the switch from one discharging position to the other. To hold the switch in either discharging position, two notches 184 and 186 are provided on the upper side of slide bar 176 and these notches are adapted to engage with a tooth 188 in upper wall'of the guideway 180, this arrangement being such that when one notch is engaged by the tooth 188, the switch will register with one guiding chute and when the other tooth is in the notch the switch will register with the'other guiding chute. The notch which is engaged'with the tooth 188 is yieldingly held in such engagement by the action of a spring190 secured at one end to the bar 180 and at the other end'thereof to the frame of the head.

With this arrangement, when one receptacle has been filled with welting. the welting strip may be severed and the switch member 170 shifted so that the strip will thereafter be delivered into the chute leading into the other receptacle. This enables the filled receptacle to be removed and replaced with an empty one substantially without interrupting the operation of the machine.

The waste resulting from action of the grooving and beveling knives passes downwardl through a chamber or passageway 192 (see ig. 11) formed in lower portion of the pivoted knife carrier. In one type of welt grooving and beveling machine heretofore em loyed this passage has been designed to de ect this waste toward the front of the machine. When thus taken care of, however, there is no positive assurance that it will not find its Way into the operating parts of the machine or into the rece tacle for the welting. To avoid this possibility, the chamber or passageway 192 is closed by a wall 194: at the front of the pivoted knife carrier 138 to prevent the waste from escaping from the passageway at this point and causing it to pass downwardly into a chute 196 which is formed in the upper ortion of the pedestal directly beneath the nives. The chute 196 slopes downwardly and rearwardly beneath the welt grooving and beveling head and discharges the waste at the rear of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A pedestal adapted to have removably secured to it one of a plurality of machine heads fitted for ready attachment to and detachment from the pedestal and provided respectively with means for performing different stock fitting operations, said pedestal being provided with driving mechanism arranged to be operatively connected with the operating means of a selected head merely by relative movement between the pedestal and head, and with means for receiving a strip of stock which has been operated upon and delivering it in orderly arrangement.

2. A pedestal adapted to have removably secured to it one of a plurality of machine heads each fitted for ready attachment to and detachment from the pedestal and having means for feeding a strip of stock and said heads being provided respectively with means for performing different stock fitting operations u on a strip of stock while it is being fed, sai pedestal being provided with driving mechanism including a shaft arranged to be interchangeably connected with the strip feeding means of either of the several machine heads by movement of the head ina direction lengthwise of said shaft.

3. A pedestal adapted to have removably secured to it one of a plurality of machine heads each fitted for ready attachment to and detachment from the pedestal, said heads being provided respectively with means for performing different stock fitting operations and with a plurality of chutes for guiding the product of the stock fitting operations away from the fitting means after the stock has been operated u on, driving mechanism within said pedestal arranged to be interchangeably connected to the operating means of the several machine heads,guideways within the pedestal registering with said chutes for delivering said product at separated l0- calities, and a chute in said pedestal for receiving waste resulting from the operation performed by one of said heads.

4. A pedestal having a horizontal upper surface for supporting either of two heads each having means for feeding a strip of stock, said heads being provided respectively with means for performing diiferent stock fitting operations upon the strip while it is being fed and each head having a pair of chutes for receiving the product of the head, and said pedestal having a pair of guides for receiving stock from either of the chutes thereof and delivering stock from one chute at a different locality from that at which stock from the other chute is delivered, the upper surface of the pedestal having apertures formed therein to receive the chutes and locate them in registry with said guides.

5. A pedestal for supporting either of two heads provided with rand-splitting mechanism and welt-preparing mechanism, respectively, each head having chutes extending toward opposite sides thereof for directing the product of the head toward opposite sides of the pedestal, other means associated with the pedestal for conveying the products to suitable receiving means located at opposite sides of the pedestal, and other means for receiving the waste resulting from the welt preparing operation and directing it away from the pedestal.

6. A pedestal adapted to support either of two detachable heads having respectively rand splitting and welt preparing devices together with actuating means therefor and a plurality of chutes extending beyond the heal for conveying stock away from the head after the stock has been operated upon, said pedestal having rotatable guides for receiving stock from said chutes and delivering the stock in loose coils at different localities, means on the pedestal for receiving the free extremities of the chutes carried by either of said heads and locating said chutes in registry with the respective coiling guides, mechanism in the pedestal for rotating the coiling guides, and a shaft connected with said mechanism and adapted for connection with the actuating means in either of said heads.

7. A pedestal adapted to support either of two heads having respectively rand splitting and welt preparing devices, each head being fitted for ready attachment to and detachment from the pedestal, the pedestal being provided with means for receiving strips formed by a selected head secured to the pedestal and laying said strips in loose coils at different localities, and driving mechanism adapted detachably to be connected with said selected head.

8. A pedestal adapted to support either of two heads having respectively rand splitting and welt preparing devices, the pedestal being provided with two revolving coiling guides for rece ving strips formed by a selected head and delivering them in coiled formation at different localities,mechanism carried by the pedestal for revolving the coiling guides in unison, separable driving connections between said mechanism and the operating means in a selected head, and means for removably securing said head upon the pedestal.

9. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding lengthwise a strip of stock of extended length, means for dividing lengthwise the stock, chutes for directing the divided stripes toward opposite sides of the machine, and rotary coiling guides for receiving the divided strips from said chutes and delivering them in successively laid courses of substantial similarity at spaced localities removed from the dividing means.

10. In a machine of the class described, meansfor feeding a piece of stock, a knife for splitting the stock as it is fed to form a plurality of rand strips, means for guiding the strips away from each other after they have passed the knife, rotary coiling guides for receiving the strips from said guiding means, and means for rotating the coiling guides at the same rate of speed to lay the strips at separate localities in progressively formed courses of substantial similarity.

11. In a machine of the class described, means for dividing a strip of stock lengthwise into two strips of similar cross-sectional contour, and two coiling guides connected to rotatc in unison for receiving the dividec strips and delivering them in loose coils of similar formation at separate localities.

12. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a knife for splitting a strip of stock lengthwise to form two rand strips, 00-

. operating rolls for receiving the stockand feeding it against the knife, a head in which said knife and feed rolls are mounted, a pedestal supporting said head, two rotatable coiling guides in the pedestal, guiding means carried by the head for delivering the rand strips separately and simultaneously to said coiling guides, driving mechanism in the pedestal for the coiling guides, and driving connections between said mechanism and the feed rolls.

13. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means for performing cutting operations on strips of stock, cooperating feed rolls for receiving the stock and feeding a it on against the cutting means, a head in which said cutting means and feed rolls are mounted, a pedestal supporting said head, means for removably securing the head to the pedestal, two rotatable strip coiling guides in the pedestal, a pair of guide chutes carried by the head and arranged to register with the respective coiling guides, a motor in the pedestal, mechanism connected with the motor for driving the collmg guides, and dr1ving connections between said mechanism and said feed rolls.

14. In a machine ofthe class described, in combination, a head, cutting means in the head, means for feeding the stock to the out ting means,-a pedestal for supporting said head, substantially axially alined shafts in the pedestal and head for connecting the feeding means with the motor, and readily separable means adapted for connecting and dis-v connecting said shafts.

15. In a machine of the class described, means for splitting a strip of stock longitudinally, and means constructed and arranged automatically to vary the position of the stock transversely with relation to the splitting means in acordance with variations in the width of the original strip operated upon.

16. In a machine of the class described, a knife for splitting a strip of stock in the direction of its length and along a plane oblique to the lateral faces of the strip to form two beveled strips, and means for centering the strip of stock transversely with respect to the center of the knife edge, said means being automatically adjustable in accordance with variations in the width of the strip being split to insure that the two beveled strips shall correspond with one another in shape throughout their length irrespective of said variations.

17. In a machine of the class described, a knife for splitting a strip of stock longitudinally to form two strips, and guide mem bers yieldingly held in engagement with the opposite lateral edges of the strip being split and articulated for equal movements in unison toward and from each other to maintain said strip transversely centered relatively to the knife notwithstanding variations in the width of the strip.

18. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding a strip of stock, a knife for splitting the strip. lengthwise and along a plane oblique to the sides of the strip as the strip is fed, said knife beingadjustable about an axis extending in the direction of feed of the strip to vary the angle of cut, and means for maintaining the longitudinal center line of the strip in alinement with the axis of adjustment of the knife.

19. In a machine of the class described, a knife for cutting a strip of stock, means for feeding the stock to the knife interconnected edge guides for engaging opposite lateral edges of the stock as it is fed and centeringthe stock transversely with respect to the knife, and means for spreading the edge guides apart an abnormal amount and holding them thus spread apart to facilitate the insertion of the stock between them.

20. In a machine of the class described, means arranged to engage the opposite sides of a strip of stock and feed it, a knife located ing thereon, means to adjust the knife rotatably about an axis extending through its cut- I upon the strip as it is fed by said rolls, guides ting edge to vary the angle of cut, and means to adjust bodily the position. of the knife to bring its axis of adjustment into alinenient with the longitudinal center line of the strip of stock.

21. In a machine of the, class described, means for operating on a strip of stock, members'engaging opposite sides of the strip and cooperating to feed the strip to the operating means, guides for engaging opposite lat eral edges of the strip as it is fed to the operating means, and means for separating the feed members and retracting both edge guides from operative positions to facilitate the introduction of a strip of stock between them.

22. In a machine of the class described, means for splitting strip of stock lengthwise, rolls engaging opposite sides of the stock and cooperating to feed the stock to the splitting means, pivoted edge guides connected to swing in unison toward and from each other and arranged to engage opposite lateral edges of the stock as it is fed to the splitting means, a spring for urging the edge guides toward each other, means for movin the edge guides away from each other, and means for separating the feed rolls.

23. In a machine of the class described, a pair of feed rolls arranged to engage opposite sides of a strip of stock, yielding means for causing the stock to be gripped by the rolls, said means permitting separation of the rolls to accommodate stock of different thickness, a knife for splitting the stock lengthwise as it is fed, members normally engaging op posite lateral edges of the strip of stock and capable of moving in a direction angular-1y disposed with respect to the direction of the movement of separation of the feed rolls to center the strip transversely with respect to the knife, and means for simultaneously separating the feed rolls and spreading apartsaid centering members to facilitate the introduction of a strip of stock between said rolls and members.

24. In a machine of the class described, an axially fixed feed roll, an axially movable feed roll cooperating with the first feed roll for advancing a strip of stock, a carrier for said movable feed roll, a knife for cutting the strip lengthwise as it is fed, members yieldingly held against the opposite lateral edges of the strip for centering the strip transversely with respect to the'knife, means for moving said carrier to separate the feed rolls to facilitate the insertion of a strip of stock between them, and means including interengaging devices on said carrier and on one of the strip centeringmembers for causing said members to be spread'apart as the feed rolls are separated.

25. Ina stock-fitting machine, cooperating feed rolls arranged to engage the opposite sides of a strip of stock, means for operating for engaging the opposite lateral edges of the strip, means for separating said feed rolls to facilitate the insertion of a strip of stock between them, and means for moving both of said edge guides to cause separation thereof when said feed rolls are separated.

26. In a stock-fitting machine, cooperating feed rolls arranged to engage the opposite sides of a strip of stock, a knife for splitting the strip lengthwise as it is fed between said rolls, means for moving one feed roll away from the other feed roll to facilitate the insertion of a strip of stock between the rolls, articulated guides for engaging the 0pposite lateral edges of the strip of stock to center the strip relatively to the knife, and

connections between the axially movable feed roll and the edge guides for moving both of said edge guides to cause separation thereof when the axially movable feed roll is moved away from the other roll.

27. In a machine of the class described, an axially fixed feed roll, a second feed roll for cooperating with the first roll to feed a strip of stock, said second roll being movable toward and from the first roll to accommodate stock of different thicknesses, a knife for cutting the strip lengthwise as it is fed, means for turning the knife about an axis in alinement with the longitudinal center line of the strip to vary the angle of cut, and means for adjusting the knife bodily toward and from the axially fixed feed roll.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HAROLD WARREN. 

